The subject inventions relates to a system for addressing envelopes. More particularly, it relates to a system including a laser printer or the like operating under control of a micro-computer or the like to print envelopes with addresses; the addresses including information in barcode form and a special mark in accordance with regulations of the U.S. Postal Service indicating that the mail piece is suitable for automated processing, which mark is referred to herein as a FIM mark.
It is known, as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,542; to: Brodesser, to print envelopes using a laser printer or the like. In developing the system of the subject invention Applicants have realized that it is desirable to print envelopes in a "two-up" mode. That is, to print envelopes two at a time, short edge first. (In general the paper path of a laser printer is too narrow and the spacing between drive rollers is too great to allow normal envelopes to be feed long edge first.) Such "two-up" printing is known for use with multilith printers and duplicators, which are used to print sequences of envelopes with identical information. Such "two-up" feeding of envelopes is taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,603,846 and 4,625,641; to: Miles and JAGOSZ ET AL, respectively. Applicants have recognized that it is highly desirable to provide a system wherein a substantially conventional laser printer is driven by a micro-computer to address sequences of envelopes. However, as will discussed more fully below, the printing geometry of such printers is such that pairs of standard number 10 size envelope are not easily printed in accordance with the U.S. Postal Service requirements for machinable mail. Particularly, it is difficult in such a system to position the FIM mark, which is a particular mark printed on a mail piece in accordance Postal Service regulations to indicate that that mail piece is machinable, in accordance with Postal Service regulations. These regulations require that the FIM mark be printed within approximately one millimeter of the upper edge of the envelope.
Co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/643,616; to: Silverberg relates to an invention developed during the course of the same project which lead to the development of the subject invention and describes a system for printing of envelopes with barcode information in accordance with regulations of the Postal Service. In the '616 application a sample envelope is printed and the error in position determined and this error is used to correct subsequent printing. The correction may be carried out either by shifting the envelopes as they are feed or by shifting the image to be printed within the print field.
Another co-pending, commonly assigned application is U.S. patent application No. 07/747,581; to: Silverberg, which relates to two-up printing of envelopes. This application discloses a system for determining the sequences in which envelopes are to be printed and is not concerned with the printing of either barcode or FIM marks.
Thus, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a system wherein a substantially conventional laser printer or the like may be used to simultaneously print pairs of envelopes with address information; the address information including FIM marks in accordance with Postal Service regulations.